Sen. Klobuchar on EPA Release of Renewable Fuel Standard Requirements

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement following the release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2018 and 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume requirements.

“Renewable fuels are a Minnesota-grown economic generator for our state and country. The Administration’s choice to maintain ethanol volume requirements for 2018 and 2019 is a good decision that underscores the importance of—and signals a commitment to—corn ethanol. However, failing to increase the blend targets of advanced biofuels hamstrings the growth we have seen in clean energy innovation, needlessly flat-lining a sector that creates good jobs and strengthens rural communities. A strong RFS means a strong economy, improved national security, prosperous rural communities, and U.S. leadership in the energy of the future. I’ll continue to work with the Administration to ensure that the standard is administered in a way that is good for Minnesota and rural communities across the country.”

For years, Klobuchar has led a bipartisan push for the EPA to release a stronger RFS to support American jobs and decrease dependence on foreign oil. Last November, the former Administration released a stronger final rule for 2017, which will require a record amount of biofuel to be mixed into our transportation fuel supply next year. Minnesota’s twenty ethanol plants and three biodiesel plants generate roughly $5 billion in combined economic output and have made our state the fourth-largest ethanol producing state in the country. In April, Klobuchar and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led a bipartisan group of 23 senators in urging the Administration to reject changes to the RFS that would upend stability and predictability for small businesses and rural communities.